Background: There is increasing interest globally in the use of more rigorous processes to ensure that maternal,
newborn, and child health (MNCH) care recommendations are informed by the best available research evidence use.
The purpose of this study was to engage Nigerian MNCH policy-makers and other stakeholders to consider issues
around research to policy and practice interface and to assess their existing knowledge and capacity on the use of
research evidence for policy-making and practice.
Methods: The study design is a cross-sectional evaluation of MNCH stakeholders’ knowledge as it pertains different
dimensions of research to practice. This was undertaken during a national MNCH stakeholders’ engagement
event convened under the auspices of the West African Health Organization (WAHO) and the Federal Ministry of
Health (FMoH) in Abuja, Nigeria. A questionnaire was administered to participants, which was designed to assess
participants’ knowledge, capacity and organizational process of generation, synthesis and utilization of research
evidence in policy-making regarding MNCH.
Results: A total of 40 participants signed the informed consent form and completed the questionnaire. The mean
ratings (MNRs) of participants’ knowledge of electronic databases and capacity to identify and obtain relevant
research evidence from electronic databases ranged from 3.62-3.68 on the scale of 5. The MNRs of participants’ level
of understanding of a policy brief, a policy dialogue and the role of researchers in policy-making ranged from 3.50-
3.86. The MNRs of participants’ level of understanding of evidence in policy-making context, types and sources of
evidence, capacity to identify, select, adapt, and transform relevant evidence into policy ranged from 3.63-4.08. The
MNRs of the participants’ organization’s capacity to cover their geographical areas of operation were generally low
ranging from 3.32-3.38 in terms of manpower, logistics, facilities, and external support. The lowest MNR of 2.66 was
recorded in funding.
Conclusion: The outcomes of this study suggest that a stakeholders’ engagement event can serve as an important
platform to assess policy-makers’ knowledge and capacity for evidence-informed policy-making and for the
promotion of evidence use in the policy proces